/3/g 

WHEN  I  TOLD  A  LITTLE 
KANSAS  TOWN  OF 
Ham-  THE  LEPERS 

or 

How  Wilbur  Set  Pete  to  W ork 


Wilbur  and  Pete 

THE  MISSION  TO  LEPERS 

AMERICAN  COMMITTEE 

WM.  JAY  SCHIEFFELIN,  Chairman 
170  William  Street,  New  York 

W.  M.  DANNER,  Secretary 
608  Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL,  Treasurer 
158  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


Secretary’s  New  Addre§$ 
156  Fiicli  rive.,  N.  Y. 


[  Courtesy  of  The  Sunday  School  Times] 

WILBUR  AND  PETE 

HEN  an  invitation  came  to  me  to  visit  White 
Cloud,  Kansas,  my  first  thought  was  to  de¬ 
cline.  But  when  Mrs.  Chapman  indicated  in  her 
letter  that  her  husband  would  be  home  from  South 
America  about  the  time  she  had  proposed  for  me 
to  come,  my  imagination  pictured  him  as  perhaps 
a  mining  magnate,  or  possibly  a  wealthy  copper 
king,  and  as  Mrs.  Chapman  had  indicated  that 
they  would  like  to  entertain  me  in  their  home,  I 
thought  of  the  chance  of  securing  from  this  com¬ 
ing  copper  king  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  do 
great  things  for  the  lepers.  To  further  testify  my 
indifference  to  the  invitation  when  it  first  came, 
one  need  only  recall  the  fact  that  White  Cloud  is 
a  little  town  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Kansas,  very 
difficult  of  access,  only  eleven  hundred  people  in 
it,  while  there  are  seven  church  buildings,  with  a 
half  dozen  ministers,  three  of  whom  have  settled 
pastorates,  the  remainder  of  the  churches  being- 
served  by  ministers  who  visit  White  Cloud  as  one 
of  their  appointments. 

In  inviting  me  to  come,  Mrs.  Chapman  had  ex¬ 
plained  that  she  and  her  husband  had  heard  the 
story  of  Dr.  McKean’s  work  in  Siam  in  behalf  of 
the  lepers  in  ‘  ‘  The  Land  of  the  White  Elephant.  ’  ’ 
Indeed,  she  had  already  forwarded  some  contribu¬ 
tions  direct  to  Dr.  McKean.  Her  request  was  so 
cordial  and  insistent  that  I  decided  to  make  the 
visit  during  the  time  of  the  missionary  exposition 
known  as  4  the  World  in  Chicago,”  in  April,  1913. 

N  all-night  ride  took  me  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
in  time  to  catch  a  Saturday  morning  train  to 
a  Junction  point  in  Nebraska,  where  a  branch  line 
railroad  carried  me  to  WThite  Cloud,  Kansas,  late 
in  the  afternoon.  Mr.  Chapman  met  me  at  the 
station,  and  I  soon  discovered  that  he  was  not  a 


mining  magnate  at  all,  but  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chapman  were  self-supporting  missionaries  home 
on  furlough  from  South  America.  On  looking  at 
his  heavy  boots,  and  the  liberal  supply  of  Kansas 
mud  affixed  to  them,  my  heart  sank  within  me, 
but  I  told  him,  with  as  pleasant  a  face  as  possible, 
how  glad  I  was  to  be  in  White  Cloud,  Kansas, 
and  started  on  the  journey  to  the  edge  of  the  vil¬ 
lage,  walking  by  his  side  through  the  Kansas  mud 
with  my  own  shoes  unprotected  even  by  rubbers. 

When  I  reached  the  home  I  found  there  the  son 
of  the  family,  a  small  boy  named  Wilbur,  who  had 
been  anticipating  my  coming  with  a  long  list  of 
questions,  for  he  proceeded  to  ply  me  immediately. 
To  make  my  basis  of  relationship  firm  with  the 
home,  I  answered  Wilbur’s  questions  gladly ;  in¬ 
deed,  I  was  able  to  establish  myself  in  his  good 
graces  so  that  before  Saturday  evening  was  gone 
I  was  4  4  Uncle  Will”  to  Wilbur. 

After  a  good  night’s  rest,  a  splendid  breakfast, 
and  our  Sabbath  morning  devotions,  good  Mrs. 
Chapman  said  : 

4  4  We  have  four  services  arranged  for  you  today, 
in  which  we  suggest  that  you  simply  tell  the  story 
of  the  great  need  of  the  lepers,  but  do  not  ask  for 
money.  The  people  know  that  twenty-five  dollars 
will  support  a  leper  for  a  year  in  one  of  the  mis¬ 
sion  stations,  but  we  want  them  to  become  inter¬ 
ested,  as  they  doubtless  will,  in  knowing  how  much 
relief  from  suffering  is  given,  and  how  the  food, 
and  the  clothing,  and  the  shelter,  and  the  Chris¬ 
tian  teaching,  and  the  sympathy  bring  cheer  and 
comfort  to  the  sick,  poor,  homeless  outcasts.” 

I  COULD  agree  without  question  not  to  ask  for 
money,  because  I  surmised  that  in  the  little 
town,  already  overchurched,  no  one  would  take 
any  large  interest  in  helping  lepers  so  far  away. 
But  I  little  realized  how  Mrs.  Chapman  and  her 


husband  and  Wilbur  had  been  praying  and  work¬ 
ing  in  advance  of  my  coming.  At  the  third  serv¬ 
ice,  held  in  the  afternoon,  a  small  group  of  friends 
were  present,  and  a  Local  Auxiliary  of  the  Mis¬ 
sion  to  Lepers  was  organized,  with  Mrs.  Chapman 
as  chairman.  At  each  service  I  had  done  my  best, 
telling  the  leper  story  just  as  Mrs.  Chapman  had 
suggested,  and  without  asking  for  money. 

After  the  close  of  the  evening  service  Mrs. 
Chapman  said  to  me : 

44  We  are  disappointed  ;  we  have  only  been  able 
to  get  support  for  nine  lepers  today — $225 — when 
we  had  hoped  to  get  $250,  or  complete  support 
for  ten  lepers.” 

I  did  not  share  her  disappointment;  but  Wilbur, 
the  little  son,  standing  by  her  side  as  she  made 
the  declaration,  was  apparently  doing  some  think¬ 
ing  of  his  own.  How  much  he  was  disappointed 
did  not  then  appear  to  me.  We  left  the  church 
and  went  to  Wilbur's  home  again. 

As  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  take  a  livery  team 
at  three  o’clock  on  the  following  Monday  morn¬ 
ing  and  drive  fifteen  miles  across  the  country  to 
catch  an  early  branch  line  train  to  St.  Joseph  for 
my  next  appointment,  1  asked  that  I  might  quietly 
slip  out  in  the  morning  without  disturbing  anyone, 
but  Wilbur  said  : 

‘‘Uncle  Will,  you  will  call  me  in  the  morning 
to  say  good-bye,  won’t  you?” 

One  can  easily  imagine  that  a  boy  would  not  be 
much  disturbed  by  being  called  at  three  A.  M.,  so 
I  promised.  S  he  lovely  hospitality  of  the  little 
home  had  been  freely  and  generously  given  of 
course  1  could  not  pay  for  this  hospitality ;  but  I 
wanted  Wilbur  to  remember  “  Uncle  Will so  in 
the  morning  I  took  with  me  three  silver  dollars 
(they  have  silver  dollars  out  west),  and  slipped 
them  into  Wilbur’s  hand  as  I  said  good-bye,  ask¬ 
ing  him  not  to  show  these  to  anyone  till  morning. 


A  cup  of  hot  coffee,  some  good  bread  and  butter, 
a  warm  grasp  of  Mr.  Chapman’s  hand,  and  I  was 
off  for  my  long  ride. 

WHEN  I  climbed  into  the  buggy  the  indica¬ 
tions  were  so  certain  for  rain  that  I  express¬ 
ed  my  doubt  to  the  livery  man  as  to  his  making  the 
journey  in  time  to  catch  the  train.  He  assured 
me  that  his  team  knew  just  how  fast  to  go  to  make 
the  journey  with  the  proper  connection  at  the 
other  end  of  the  line.  Indeed  he  told  me  that  it 
might  be  necessary  for  the  team  to  run  for  the 
last  mile  or  so,  but  if  I  would  trust  him  and  trust 
the  horses,  all  would  come  out  well.  His  predic¬ 
tion  was  true;  we  did  find  it  necessary  to  run, 
the  mud  flying  in  all  directions,  and  we  landed  at 
the  depot  platform  while  the  bell  was  ringing  for 
the  train  to  start;  A  vigorous  yell  from  the  livery 
man  saved  the  day.  I  caught  the  train,  making 
my  appointments  as  planned. 

A  few  days  later  a  letter  came  to  me  at  Chicago  : 
“Dear  Uncle  Will— I  was  very  glad  to  get  the 
three  dollars  you  gave  me ;  I  want  to  buy  a  pig. 
The  village  ordinance  will  not  permit  me  to  keep 
a  pig  during  the  summer,  but  the  first  of  Novem¬ 
ber  I  mean  to  buy  a  pig,  and  feed  him,  and  see 
if  he  will  not  grow  big  so  I  can  sell  him  for  enough 
to  support  a  leper  for  a  year;  or  at  least  to  care 
for  a  child  of  leper  parents.  Mother's  tenth  leper  ! 
Do  you  see?” 

Can  you  imagine  any  boy  going  around  six 
months  with  three  silver  dollars  jingling  in  his 
pocket,  and  saying  to  the  music  they  make,  In 
six  months  from  now  I  shall  spend  these  three 
dollars  to  buy  a  pig  to  help  find  support  for  moth¬ 
er's  tenth  leper?” 

I  did  not  count  this  leper  as  supported.  I  waited. 
On  the  fifth  day  of  November  another  letter  came  : 
“Dear  Uncle  Will — I  have  bought  my  pig,  and 
(Continued  on  other  side) 


from  the  way  in  which  he  eats  everything  in  sight 
I  feel  sure  he  is  all  right,  and  I  am  confident  that 
he  will  grow  big  enough  so  that  I  can  sell  him  for 
money  enough  to  support  a  leper  or  a  leper’s  child.  ’  ’ 

In  the  same  mail  came  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Chap¬ 
man,  telling  how  Wilbur  had  told  the  story  of  his 
purchase  to  the  children  at  the  day-school,  as  well 
as  the  children  at  the  Sunday-school,  and  they  all 
were  interested  in  helping.  Said  she  :  I  wish  you 
might  have  seen  the  procession  of  little  children 
coming  out  this  very  afternoon, — one  little  girl 
with  one  ear  of  com  in  her  hand,  others  with 
more,  and  one  small  child  bringing  a  parcel  con¬ 
taining  the  remnants  from  their  school  luncheons ; 
and  all  in  chorus  asking  the  privilege  of  helping 
feed  the  leper  pig. '  Of  course  the  privilege  was 
given  them,  and  these  little  children  are  helping 
Wilbur  to  make  possible  the  success  of  his  plan.  ” 

A  later  communication,  addressed  February  4, 
of  this  year,  indicates  the  interest  the  men  are 
taking,  for  it  says : 

“Dear  Uncle  Will — The  men  are  getting  inter¬ 
ested  ;  a  man  carried  a  pail  of  swill  three  blocks 
this  morning,  which  he  said  he  wanted  to  feed  the 
pig.  I  have  named  the  pig ‘Pete.’  Pete  was  asleep 
this  morning,  and  I  slipped  up  beside  him,  and  got 
my  hands  on  him,  and  his  flesh  feels  good  and 
solid,  and  this  means  a  heavy  weight.  I  am  sure 
I  shall  soon  be  able  to  sell  him  for  enough  money 
to  support  mother's  tenth  leper.” 

This  story  was  told  in  the  Sunday  School  Times 
Office  prayer  meeting  in  Philadelphia.  Immedi¬ 
ately  an  arrangement  was  made  to  secure  a  brand 
of  pigs  that  would  sit  on  desks  or  tables.  A  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Sunday  School  Times  Office  family  pro¬ 
cured  a  pig  bank  and  this  porker  was  labelled 
‘  ‘  Pete  No.  2.  ” 

He  was  fed  “coin  in  the  back”  instead  of 
“corn  in  the  ear.”  In  due  time  Pete  No.  2  was 


so  full  that  the  complete  support  of  a  Leper  was 
secured  for  the  whole  year.  In  this  way,  Wilbur’s 
contagious  example  began  to  provoke”  to  love 
and  good  works. 

In  the  meantime,  Wilbur  continued  feeding  his 
pig.  The  pig  went  to  market  with  the  result  that 
sufficient  money  was  secured  to  care  for  another 
Leper  for  a  year.  Wilbur’s  pig  money  was  for¬ 
warded  to  Siam,  and  a  little  Leper  boy  Ai  Sam 
became  “Mother’s  Tenth  Leper.”  His  name  is 
“Mr.  Three,”  meaning  probably  that  he  was 
born  in  the  third  month  of  the  year. 

Pete  No.  2  was  quickly  followed  by  other  pig 
banks  and  now  there  are  more  than  6,000  of  these 
little  banks  being  “fed”  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  by  interested  friends. 


FEEDING  THE  PIG 

You  may  have  one  of  these  “Pete  Pigs,”  and 
this  intensely  human  little  folder  telling  how  the 
idea  originated,  by  sending  fifteen  cents  to  the 
address  given  below.  Contributions  direct  may  be 
sent  to  the  same  address. 

Any  person  or. group  of  persons  may  join  The 
Golden  Pete  Bank  Brigade.” 

Send  15  cents  for  a  Golden  Pig  Bank  and  the 
story  of  “Pete,”  and  write  today  to 

THE  MISSION  TO  LEPERS 
W.  M.  Danner,  American  Secretary 
608  Tremont  Temple  Boston,  Mass. 


THE  MISSION  TO  LEPERS 


LIST  OF  STATIONS 


INDIAN  EMPIRE  AND  CEYLON 


♦Alleppey 
f  Almora,  U.  P. 
j  Ambala,  Punjab 

f  Attingal,  Travancorc 
♦Baba  Lakhan,  Punjab 
♦fBankura,  Bengal 
♦Belgaum,  Bombay  Pres, 
♦f  Bhagalpur,  Bihar 
Calcutta 
*f  Calicut 

Chamba,  Punjab 
♦f  Champa,  C.  P. 

♦Chandag,  U.  P. 

*f  Chandkuri,  C.  P. 

Dehra  Dun,  U.  P. 
•fDhamtari,  c.  P. 

*Dhar,C.I. 

Dharmsala,  Punjab 
Hendala,  Colombo 
jeypore,  Madras  Pres. 


Kodur,  Madras  Pres. 
♦fKothara,  C.  P. 

♦Lch,  Kashmir 
♦tLohardugga,  Bihar 
M  ad  ras 

♦Madura,  S.  India 
♦fMandalay,  Burma 
♦fMangaiore 

Matunga,  Bombay 
♦fMaulmain,  Lr.  Burma 
♦fMeerut,  U.  P. 
♦fMiraj,  Bombay  P. 
Moradabad,  U.  P. 
Mourbhanj,  Orissa 
*tMungcli,C.  P. 

♦f  Muzaffarpur,  Bihar 
*tNaini,  Allahabad 
♦jNasik 
♦jNeyoor 
Nizamabad 


*t  Patpara,  C.  P. 
fPithora,  U.  P. 
♦fPoladpur 
♦fPoona 

♦fPui,  Kolaba  Dist. 

♦j Purulia,  Bengal 
Raipur,  C.  P. 

Raj  Nandgaon 
*»t  Ramachandrapuram 
*t  Raniganj,  Bengal 
♦Rawal  Pindi,  Punjab 
♦fRurki,  U.  P. 
♦fSabathu, Punjab 
Saharanpur,  U.  P. 
♦fSalur,  Vizagapatam 
Sehore,  Bhopal 
♦fShoIapur,  Bombay  P 
♦fTarn  1  aran,  Punjab 
Trevandrum 
Ujjain,  C.  i. 
♦Vizianagram 


At  these  92  Stations  upwards  of 
11,000  Lepers  and  Children  are 
supported,  relieved  or  evangelised 


SIAM 

Chicngmal 

STRAITS  SETTLEMENTS 

Pulo  Jerejak,  Penang 

SUMATRA 

Situmba 

CHINA 

tCanton 

Chaotung,  Yunnan 
Foochow,  Fuh  Kien 
Hangchow,  Che-Kiang 
Kien  Ning  Fu,  Fuh  Kien 
♦Kucheng,  Fuh  Kien 
Loyuan,  Fuh  Kien 
♦fSlao  Kan,  Hankow 


CHINA— continued 
Sieng  lu,  Foochow 
Tungkun,  Canton 
♦Wuchow,  West  River 
j-Yen  Ping,  Foochow 

JAPAN 

Osaka 

♦Tokio 

KOREA 

♦Fusan 

♦Kwangju 

♦Taiku 

THE  PHILIPPINES 

Culion 

Manila 


PERSIA 

Tabriz 

PALESTINE 

Valley  of  Siloam 

AFRICA 

Mbereshi 

Pretoria 

GUIANA 

Mahaica  (Brit.  Gu.) 
Surinam  (Dutch  Gu.) 

UNITED  STATES 

Carville,  La. 
Penikese,  Mass. 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 


*  The  Asylums  for  which  ihe  Mission  is  entirely  respans  ble 
1  Stations  where  ihe  Mission  is  supporting  untainted  children 


